Smooth Criminal
by Sail the Ocean
Summary: What if- Sakura had happened to find Itachi before his and Sasuke's final showdown? What if Itachi had decided to take her, and hadn't died? What if... Slight SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

_Don't Own Naruto, I swear._

**SMOOTH CRIMINAL**

_**Chapter One; **_

"Don't touch me."

The words slipped through my lips before I had the chance to realize what I had said. Unable to look at Kiba, who was staring at me with sad, dog-like eyes.

He held sympathy in me for the fact that Naruto had said such harsh words, although I wasn't going to say I didn't deserve them, I wasn't delusional.

"_I hate people who lie to themselves." _His words rang in my ears.

I knew he wasn't far behind us, along with Kakashi and Yamato. But we (Meaning the arc _I_ had chose to accompany.) had to beat Sasuke to Itachi, before he got hurt more, Most of my arc had split in separate directions, each given a flare for if/when they see Sasuke, Kiba and I were seconds from parting.

Sasuke was believed to be injured after his fight with Deidara of the Akatsuki, It was up to one of us to find him, and **eliminate **him.

A deep breath escaped my lips as I pushed forward, my surroundings blending in to my mind as I skidded through the trees, a white cloak flittering around me.

"You will die by my hand, Sasuke." I whispered to myself, I suppose it was loud enough to hear, but I could already sense there was no one in the area, although the faintest glimmer of chakra seemed to bring me to a halt, looking around frantically in every direction.

In my peripheral vision a flash of black and red came into view, whizzing through the trees, as silent as the wind, I couldn't calculate who it was, An Akatsuki most likely, Wait- No, It was- A woman?

"I'm sorry, But Sasuke-Kun told me to clear the area of trespassers." The feminine voice rang in my ears as I shifted harshly to the right to dodge an oncoming kunai.

As I pulled the shuriken from my back pouch I could hear a soft snickering, and turned to glare at a woman with crimson hair, wild on one side and brushed down on the opposite. Her eyes were a matching shade of bright crimson, framed with lavender goggle-like glasses.

She would be pretty if she had leaner muscles, but the muscles on her revealed legs were thicker than a properly-tainted kunoichi, her stomach was flat, more or less, with a slight peek of muscle, her bust was large, and showing from her button up shirt.

"Where is Sasuke?" I asked calmly, although the itch in my fingers to strangle her grew as a sharp laugh rumbled through her, it was the noisy snort-laugh that nearly pushed me over the edge, sounding terribly over-exaggerated and shrill, almost painful to the ears.

"That's none of your business pinky, although I always know where _my_ Sasuke-Kun is!" She grinned triumphantly, her nose in the air.

_Dear Kami was I like this when I was a genin?_

In an instant my fingers were coiled roughly around her throat, She was thrashing fiercely, but with little chakra I was able to keep her in my grasp, I could catch the reddening of her cheeks as a sign she was really missing her ability to breathe, just about as much as she was missing her _precious_ Sasuke-_Kun_.

"I'll ask you one more time, Where is-"

"**Fuck**!" I growled in frustration, I had choked her too harshly and she had succumbed to unconsciousness.

_I can't wait for her to wake up; it'll be too late… He'll be gone and I'll never find him!. _My mind rushed, trying to get back on the trail I had once been following, but finding that the small flicker of chakra I had sensed was near to impossible now.

Suddenly I was knocked on my stomach, with a harsh cough I attempted to whip around and see my attacker, but slender white fingers held me down without a struggle, I slowly pumped chakra into my feet and bucked my heels upward, ending up in a hand-stand sort of formation, I had successfully gained my freedom, and my attacker had gained a broken jaw.

Frantically looking around my surroundings I saw nothing, "Show yourself!" I growled, slamming a fist into the ground, watching the area for miles fly into the air, trees uprooted, boulders became airborne, and successfully forcing my attacker from their hiding place.

I caught the crimson and black of an Akatsuki robe and snarled, Sasuke must not have killed Deidara. I can't face him alone- I'm not strong enough on my own.

My eyes widened as two spinning sharringan eyes peered at me blankly, and before I could dodge, Itachi Uchiha's fingers were wrapped around my throat, I gagged harshly, Bringing both of my feet up to drill the sole's of my feet into his un-expecting chest.

As he released me I swiftly back-flipped through the air, considering I was already in the position to do one, and landed gracefully on my feet, Peering at the Uchiha who was now looking at me through menacing sharringan eyes.

A knot tied in my chest…

_I can't kill Itachi Uchiha… _I thought miserably, Feeling a tinge of helplessness in the situation, If I'm running scared from Itachi, How could I ever face Sasuke?

"Kunoichi."

I found myself shivering at the harsh tone in his voice, yet it was monotone, not seeming to sound _angry_, but it was laced with a kind of malice that would make even the nine-tails uncomfortable.

I tried to look anywhere but at his eyes, focusing on his feet so at least if he charged I could tell, although he was fast- Impossibly fast.

I watched the impatient look cross his face as he stared at me, a small tinge coming to my cheeks when I realized he was addressing me, although that vanished when I remembered who I was dealing with, as if I could forget. With a harsh snarl I pulled a kunai from the pouch on my thigh, racing toward him with chakra enhanced speed,

This was the man that killed Sasuke's entire family, it was his fault I was being forced to kill one of my closest friends, my comrades, my first love.

_**As He Came Into The Window**_

_**It Was The Sound Of A  
Crescendo**_

_**He Came Into Her Apartment**_

_**He Left The Bloodstains On  
The Carpet**_

_**She Ran Underneath The Table**_

_**He Could See She Was Unable**_

_**So She Ran Into The Bedroom**_

_**She Was Struck Down, It Was  
Her Doom!**_

I heard a heavy sigh come from Itachi as he pulled out a kunai of his own.

The sharp metals of our Kunai emitted a bright spark as they clashed, I found myself struggling against the force of his own strength, so I began pumping chakra into my own hold, shoving harshly.

He must have guessed my tact, because he ducked with blind speed, and re-appeared behind me, although since I hadn't looked him in the eye _once_ since we began he couldn't see the shadow clone I had created destroy his own clone that once resided behind me.

"I do not wish to fight you, Kunoichi." His soft stoic voice rang through my ears as I dodged a kunai that was aimed for my right wrist, not a fatal blow, but if it managed to hit me it would have caused me to drop my kunai.

"Am I not _worthy_ to fight the great Itachi Uchiha?" I spat, racing toward him, a Shurriken already in hand, the triple blades gleaming as I approached him,

He disappeared, as I had predicted, He seems to favor the left side of his body, so naturally I could tell he had moved to the right into the higher tree tops, where he was shielded by thick leaves.

_**Itachi**_

_This girl isn't as foolish as I believed her to be… _I thought, peering at her through the tree branch I was lazily sitting in, watching the pink haired kunoichi toss an abundance of shuriken and kunai into the forest, however, she didn't seem to notice the genjustu I had placed to shield myself.

I needed to get going soon, for a _reunion_ with my little brother.

My chest seemed to feel heavier as my thoughts raced, I would certainly die today, and Madera would quickly snatch up the opportunity to bring Sasuke into his grasp, my fist tightened unconsciously, He was using my little brother and I as mere puppets.

I had no other choice but to do what he asked, otherwise he would tell Sasuke the truth himself and Sasuke would-

No, I don't have time for second thoughts, I just hope he can forgive me, and forgive our precious village, as I have tried to do-

I snapped out of my thoughts as I felt a cool blade press to my throat.

My eyes widened by the slightest fraction,

_This girl…_ I slowly peered in the direction of the pink-haired kunoichi who was once sloppily throwing the kunai and Shurriken into the density of trees, the Kunoichi I once believed to be foolishly wasting her time in that crater in perfect sight, and suddenly caught something,

_Chakra strings. _Damn. As the henge dropped from the girl once thought to be my opponent it appeared to be an unconscious crimson haired woman. So, she had used a henge on one of her earlier opponents, and used chakra strings to manipulate her.

"Impressive." I noted.

"Not as much as this will be-"She spat, pressing her blade tighter against my throat, her slender porcelain fingers fisted tightly into my hair, yanking my head back to allow her greater access to my jugular. Although I could ignore the stinging sensation in my scalp from her harsh treatment, and I could admire her as an opponent, I couldn't allow her to kill me.

Sasuke had to be the one to do it, as she seems to be so wrapped up in killing me she can't sense how close he's getting.

My eyes shot open, and flashed to the side, where an orange and black masked figure stood, unmoving.

He wasn't supposed to be here- Not yet…

She turned her head a fraction of a second too late; He had her in his sight, His sharringan eye spinning dangerously behind his mask, a deep, monotone chuckle seemed to hush the very wind itself.

I watched as she dropped to the ground, her jade eyes wide as she clutched at her head, Hands fisted into her pastel hair. Oddly, Madera seemed to be having _trouble_ keeping her in the jutsu, His fingers were twitching with concentration, his eye locked dangerously on her through he slit in his mask.

"What's the meaning of this?" I questioned, Feeling Sasuke growing closer by the minute, Perhaps this is just what I needed, a display of Madera's cruelty, perhaps that would bring my little brother to see-

"I want you to keep her, she interests me. Take her, and go." He said childishly, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at the pinkette who was whimpering in a heap on the ground.

I simply shrugged and distributed a blow to the back of her neck, efficiently knocking her into an unconscious state; Madera seemed unfazed by the pink haired girl who was now lying limp on the ground.

As he turned his head to focus his eyes on me, a small chuckle came from behind his mask as his eye switched from me to the girl, "Perhaps this will be fun, ne? Take her to the Iwa base, Oh- and do find Zetsu, He has some… _cleaning up_ to do."

_**Annie Are You Ok**_

_**So, Annie Are You Ok**_

_**Are You Ok Annie**_

_**Annie Are You Ok**_

_**So, Annie Are You Ok**_

_**Are You Ok Annie**_

_**Annie Are You Ok**_

_**So, Annie Are You Ok**_

_**Are You Ok Annie**_

_**You've Been Hit By**_

_**You've Been Hit By-**_

_**A Smooth Criminal!**_

I sighed and slung the girl over my shoulder.

"**Itachi**."

I turned to stare at my younger brother, His eyes wide and spinning wildly. I simply turned to look at him impassively, "You haven't enough hatred, Foolish little brother."

I dodged the swipe of his katana with ease, although the chidori that seemed to flutter through the blade was impressive, so was the rate at which his chakra stores had grown since the last time I had seen him, I was more than certain that had to do with the curse mark he had gained from Orochimaru.

"Itachi! Stay and fight me!" He growled out, racing towards me again, attempting to slice through me. I simply sighed once more and stared at him impatiently, waiting for him to say something. He seemed to stop in his tracks, and instead of blindly attacking me again, he finally paused and seemed to notice the limp girl hanging over my shoulder.

I nearly smiled, He hasn't changed a bit, never thinking, just attacking. He was nothing like me. Never had I given the benefit of doubt to my opponent, such as he was doing to me now.

"What do you want with _that_?" He smirked wickedly, obviously addressing the girl who was hanging limply over my shoulder, although he seemed to address her more like a disease than a person. Something he more than likely inherited from the snake Sannin.

"And what would that make _you_, little brother? She's come closer to killing me than you have ever dreamed of-" I stated, dodging a kunai I landed atop a tree branch, staring down at Sasuke warily. His breath was ragged, and eyes wild as he looked at me with those eyes- Those sharringan eyes, a trait of our cruel, shameful family.

"We'll see about that, after you stop running like a coward and **fight me**!" He snarled, jumping at me again, this time, I caught him by the wrist; throwing him back harshly and watching him land upon his feet.

"I have no time for you." I stated once again, disappearing in a whirlwind of evergreen leaves.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o **

**I edited this for the worst of the grammatical errors. I hope it's more acceptable this way, I plan on putting lyrics in every chapter, they should make this a bit more interesting, I'm a big Michael Jackson fan, at least, his older music. **

**-TobiIsMyName**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two;**

**Itachi**

_**What would it take for things to be quiet?**_

_**Quiet, like the snow.  
**_

_**I know this isn't much but,  
**_

_**I know I could I could be better.**_

The wind tossed my hair as I stared out into the spacious clearing, the sound of a trickling stream nearby seemed to calm my nerves as I leaned against the massive Cliffside, vines with beautiful wildflowers grew upwards and in between the cracks in the rocks. Water trickled down the crevices, staining the rocks a greenish blue color. It was a beautiful sight, and unknown to be an Akatsuki base.

I watched as the treetops swayed in the wind, stirring cherry blossoms from their white-wooded trees and onto the ground, swirling and dancing around. I'd never seen the cherry blossoms bloom here; in fact, I'd never noticed the trees before. I suppose we weren't at this base long, a couple weeks, although it _was_ spring at the time. How strange.

The color of the swirling petals resembled the leaf kunoichi's hair, a paled, pastel pink; although when Kisame and I had encountered my brother's team in leaf her hair color was more bright and pronounced. She'd changed quite a lot from how weak she once was, it took an enormous amount of physical and mental strength to resist the sharringan, let alone the sharringan of such an advanced and aged member of the Uchiha family.

_**I don't think I deserve it;  
**_

_**Selflessness find your way into my heart.  
**_

_**All stars could be brighter.  
**_

_**All hearts could be warmer.**_

_Madera._

I sighed heavily and stared out into the distance of vegetation, He was late. Although he'd made quite a habit of it lately, perhaps he was losing himself in his childish persona of the Akatsuki member 'Tobi'.

Only Leader-Sama and I knew of his true identity, why he chose to keep it a secret was completely understandable, but now that so many of the powerful have fallen his presence would strike panic into all the five nations, educing the war he so _desperately _wanted.

"Itachi."

I turned my head to stare at the approaching figure, concealed behind an orange and black mask with a single eyehole.

"Hello." I stated blankly, staring at the man before me. His chakra presence was strong, but not wild like my brother's. It was calm, and remained in one place, as if frozen within the ageless man.

"How's our guest?" He said mockingly, I could imagine the smirk he usually wore when he got his way, which was of coarse, always.

"She's remained unconscious, her vitals are normal, no signs of injury, internal or external."

"Aa. I see, I'll be taking her for a while, she will be the perfect specimen for a new… project." He spoke, his voice not wavering the slightest, but the aura of insanity that surrounded him seemed to be thickening as the days went by, the elder Uchiha's mind has been coming undone for decades, eventually; he'll snap.

I nodded, and pressed a palm to the Cliffside, stepping back as it divided, a seemingly empty abyss staring back at me. I looked over to the elder Uchiha, waiting for him to enter.

He remained silent, and went before me, as I silently followed, the Cliffside joined back together behind our distancing figures, a loud rumbling following.

In an instant the darkness was illuminated, and we were descending down a spiraling staircase, torches burning with lavender blue flames on the wall. Our footsteps echoed, revealing the length of the staircase itself, which was quite impressive.

Deidara had created this base himself with earth-style Ninjutsu, in merely two days, this staircase had taken the larger portion of time. The stairs and walls were an onyx marble; specks of dark blue and purple were visible in the stone as well. The base of each torch was a decretive ruby colored stone, carved dragons swirling around the length of each, the strange color of the flames were caused by the unique oils used to ignite the torches themselves, they would need no upkeep, they lit themselves at sundown, and burned out when the hallway was empty.

As we neared the end of the staircase, we entered a spacious room; the walls were the same onyx marble as in the staircase; however the floors were carpeted a stark white. A large, round mahogany table sat in the center of the room, expensive matching chairs with carved accents surrounded the perimeter, one for each Akatsuki member and a few to spare.

A large crystal chandelier hung directly above, the crystals were ruby colored, and the winding and decretive base was black as the night sky.

Madera's head turned and by the angle of his face I could tell he was admiring the piece of work, carved completely by hand of one of the greatest furnishers in Iwa.

His stride continued as we neared the door to my former room, where I'd left her to sleep and remain unbothered by my blue-skinned partner in crime, who'd buried himself in stuffy bars and brothels in a nearby town, where I'd been less than interested to make an appearance.

I watched as he scooped the small kunoichi up in his arms, his face hidden by that damn orange mask, but I knew well that the twisted smirk of pure insanity was on his ageless, _stolen_ face.

"Will that be all?" I questioned, not really wanting to spend my time in the presence of the man any longer than required.

"No. I will be returning in three weeks, from then on, the girl will be your responsibility then, train her. Oh, and Itachi?"

"Yes?"

"Don't kill her."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**Short, Short chapter. *Sigh***

I'll update tonight; it will be a time skip to the time Madera brings her back.

Read and Review

**-TobiIsMyName**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three;**

_**Itachi**_

It was late November, leaves skirted about the ground in beautiful crimson and bright orange colors. The sun was beginning to set, shades of pink and crimson brought an orange glow to my features as I rested in the crook of a tree branch, an arm hanging lazily within my robe as the other hung to my side.

It has been nearly five months since the day I was supposed to fight against my brother, and nearly five months since Madera took the kunoichi into his possession. He would be bringing her back to me today, although the people Madera took in for experimentation usually weren't strong enough to come out. She was a formidable opponent, but no one was prepared for the _horrendous_ things that went on in that place. Even if she is returned in perfect physical condition, her mind will be nothing by now.

I was waiting for Madera, once again. An eerie similarity to the past events I suppose, nothing good came of our meetings, and he certainly was a man to make you wait. The first time I met with Uchiha Madera I had killed my entire clan, and joined the Akatsuki, the second time, I had prompted the idea of asking permission to die, the third, well- I'm sure you all know what happened then, and now, at the forth time, I was waiting for him to bring me a broken down girl with probably less of a mind than my little brother.

I sighed once I felt the oncoming chakra presence, as cold and powerful as it always had been. I'd began to question if there actually was any more training for the man, or was he at a level of shinobi where he had nothing left to learn, he was nearly over two-hundred years old, what _would _he have to learn after all this time?

I could hear a close range crack, assuming Madera had snapped a twig or something, although it was followed by a second crack, although by the more silent snap I assume it was the second person; the kunoichi.

"Hello, Itachi." A smooth voice invaded my senses, and without movement I stared at the approaching form of a man from the corner of my eye, his childish façade forgotten, clearly. I simply sighed, and lazily swung off the tree, landing before the man in the orange and black mask, less than patient at the moment.

"Where is she?" I questioned with a small sigh, glancing behind him and not noticing her there. _Humph, I was nearly certain earlier-_

"Ita-Senpai!" A soft, bright voice exclaimed and before I had time to move a set of arms were wrapped around my neck, and a pair of legs wrapped around my waist, It was a very small, slender figure, the arms were porcelain, fingernails a bright crimson.

I sighed and pushed the figure off, turning my head to get a better look at the girl, whom I assumed was the kunoichi who I was going to be watching over for Kami knows how long, and with the awkward piggy-back ride I didn't think we would be on the same page of maturity, as we once were.

She wore an Akatsuki cloak, although the traditional look had been modified, it didn't have the high-collar, and it stopped just above her mid-thigh. Beneath she wore a tiny, tiny pair of black spandex shorts and the standard Akatsuki short, although the sleeves were full-length and fishnet, clinging to her skin desperately, showing just a hint of cleavage, She had bandages wrapped around her left thigh to keep her kunai pouch in place, although I noticed something, (Extremely hard to miss.) a giant axe on her back, the blade pure crimson, and glinting in the light. Her hair had grown out, and hung in now silvery-pink tendrils down her body, reaching almost the small of her back.

She had a ridiculous smile plastered on her face, as she poked the tip of my nose, like I was a small child, and leaned forward, rocking back and forth on her heels, "Hello Ita-Senpai, Father told me you'd be taking care of me from now on, ne?" She questioned, her voice beautiful and bright and angelic, although it held a child-like wander that amazed me.

I arched my eyebrow, "Father?"

She giggled softly at that, before running around me and pouncing on the much _feared_ orange masked man, who _allowed _her to cling herself to his body like she had clung to mine, "Yes. Hime chose the name, isn't it lovely? I've always wanted children." He chuckled, although the dark amusement in his voice was evident.

I simply watched blankly, waiting for him to give me orders on what to do with the girl. Madera seemed to see the impatience in my stance and features for he uttered a sigh and told the pinkette to release him, before turning to me, I could see the crimson of his sharringan eye glinting with malice. "You may take her now." He nodded, pausing to turn to the young girl, "Behave for _Ita-Senpai_." He mocked, poking her gently on the forehead before turning around to disappear within the trees.

The girl watched his retreating form with a hint of sadness in her eyes; she didn't seem to be glad to be rid of him. What had he done to her? Didn't she hate him for capturing her? I suppose it didn't matter to me, as long as she didn't cause trouble I could care less about her feelings.

"Come, Sakura." I said, turning on my heels to head back into the village Kisame and I were holding a room in a nearby inn at, he of coarse had no idea I was coming back with the girl, I owed him no explanations, and I didn't plan on giving one for that matter.

I leapt forward to land on the harsh bark of a tree-branch, the leaves rustled at the impact, it didn't matter, I wasn't busy with stealth at the moment, I couldn't hear her behind me, nor could I feel her chakra. I sighed in annoyance and turned my head to peer behind me, she wasn't there. Damn annoying girl.

As I turned back around I nearly lost my balance, she was hanging upside down from a branch directly above mine, her face mere inches from mine, sparkling jade eyes invaded my vision, staring at me with excitement and bewilderment, like a child examining a puzzle.

"Ita-Senpai, how do you know father? You two have the same eyes, are you related?" She questioned, and I _nearly_ gaped in confusion, didn't she remember me? Could she remember anything? It wouldn't be surprising if she couldn't remember anything- she had been experimented on after all, although that didn't explain why she was so bright and cheery, wouldn't she be- damaged? Cruel? Bloodthirsty?

What had he done to her?

"Hn." I mumbled, speeding ahead of her, not in the mood for conversation, I was asked to train her, and I would do the minimum of what I was expected, clearly she was going to be more of a nuisance in this state than she would have been before- although she wouldn't be trying to escape at every turn, which would be less annoying, and she held some kind of faith in Madera- which annoyed me to no end.

Surprisingly she wasn't emitting any chakra at all, she had it sealed away perfectly, and instead of hopping from branch to branch, which would have been easier, she giggled and used her arms to flip from branch to branch and catch herself in the air, dancing and twirling about as if it were some game.

Couldn't Madera have made her _mute_? Or possibly any less annoying?

Something about her over-cheery attitude angered me; I couldn't tell if it was the fact that I hated children, I always have. Or maybe it was my lack of patience. Or perhaps it was the damn innocence I could see in her features, the _happiness_.

I sneered at the thought. And just continued on in silence, doing my best to ignore the bubbly, giggling woman who danced through the air above me, reminding me of stories my mother would tell me as a child, of fairies and nymphs.

**X **_S_** X **_I_** X**

The moon was high in the sky, in its full glory, casting a silvery shadow on the woman beside me, who had become completely silent. Her eyes less doe-like, her lashes seemed longer, the silvery sheen had covered most of the hair, making it seem almost like it was silver with a pink hue, instead of the other way around, but I claimed it was the different lighting as we reached the village.

She pulled her Akatsuki hat from somewhere within her cloak, a small ding filled the silence from the bells on the hat, the long, papery strands hid her face, although with that ridiculous pink hair I didn't think it would do well to hide her identity to anyone who knew her.

Something changed in the air, it cooled considerably, something hung in it, the feeling of sorrow and death surrounded us, although I assumed I was just imagining it, we were nearing the Inn now, and I gave a small nod to the man who had checked Kisame and myself in earlier, he seemed more than willing to allow to let me pass without speaking a word of the petite woman who trailed behind me. Her footsteps not making a single noise, even the bell dared to make a sound. Her movements changed from the childish, dancing movements to fluid, graceful strides.

I decided not to mention it, considering I really didn't care. "Kisame and I have a mission in a village near this one, we'll be gone for most of the night, and when we return near dawn we will be heading back to the base." I said, unlocking the door to the room, before holding it open for the small kunoichi who wordlessly walked in.

A low whistle filled the air, "Who's that Itachi? Did you bring me a gift?" Kisame's rough, husky voice chuckled from across the room, I could practically smell the alcohol coming off of his skin from across the room, and with an irritated sigh I grabbed my kunai pouch from one of the two king-sized beds in the room, "Come Kisame, we're leaving."

He didn't utter anything, but stood from his seat in the corner of the room with a grunt grabbing samhada from the wall and placing it in its holster on his back, before sending a wink to the pinkette and poising himself on the windowsill, soon disappearing to the ground two-stories below.

"Don't leave this room."

Then I too, disappeared into the night.

**X **_S _**X **_I_ **X**

"I'm fucking exhausted." Kisame's rasp voice muttered behind me, I simply shrugged, noting that we were coming closer to the village, it took a shorter amount of time than we predicted to complete our mission. "Wait, Itachi- Samhada feels something." He growled, stopping in his tracks before crouching down to run his fingers along the surface of his massive scaled sword.

I paused as well, we were mere minutes from arriving in the village- yet I could feel it too, Chakra was heavy in the air, an almost crushing abundance of it. It was dark- it burned my lungs to inhale. Screams and explosions filled the air, lighting the sky.

"What do you think it is?" I questioned, knowing if anyone could desiopher the source of the chakra, it would be Kisame and Samhada.

"It's- the little pink haired girl from earlier."

_**She's the calm before the storm  
**_

_**Now this moment is in ease  
**_

_**But this lightning strike is bound to hit me  
**_

_**Now I'm falling into her  
**_

_**And I feel like I can drown  
**_

_**But I know she won't go and let me down**_

"What?"

"Yeah, her faint chakra from earlier got absorbed- but it's the same, only- different?"

I grunted, "Let's go."

"Are you sure Itachi?"

"Hn."

As we sped in the direction of the village the screams only got louder, but before us- dancing through the air, shamelessly slicing and slaughtering every civilian who was unlucky enough to walk in her path- Was Sakura.

Although her eyes had been consumed by crimson, not a single trace of the jade that had been present earlier, and her axe seems to have been replaced by a scythe that would put the silver-haired Jashinist to shame, her laughter filled the air, but it wasn't the childish, happy laughter from earlier, it was dark, angelic.

"Beautiful." The blue-skinned man beside me breathed.

I turned to look at Kisame, who was staring at the bloodthirsty woman in awe; she was like a porcelain demoness, a dark goddess, killing without mercy. And truly, only one word could describe her- beautiful.

"Whadda' we do?"

"We wait." I murmered, not having the desire to step between this (Now silver-haired) girl and her rampage, that I didn't want to miss a minute of, it was mesmerizing.

_**She's the waves that crash on me  
**_

_**And her tears turn into rain  
**_

_**But this sour glass will filter out pain  
**_

_**Now she dances without the moon  
**_

_**And her eyes turn into light  
**_

_**And even the stars have faded in time**_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**Okay, SO here are two pictures of Sakura during her curse mark form. **

_** . **_

_**And **_

_** . .full. **_

**Her usual appearance; (Not including clothing.)**

_** . /hphotos-ash3/c/p403x403/599128_224763564321929_1003884150_ **_

_**-TobiIsMyName**_


	4. Chapter 4

. .full. **(Sakura's Curse Mark form 1)**

. **(Sakura's curse mark form 2, full body)**

**(A/N: Sorry, they didn't load correctly to the last chapter. Anyways. I plan on making longer chapters soon, I'm sorry for the confusion.)**

**And the Madara/Madera thingy, eh, I'm a little far ahead to quit calling him that, but the point is obvious it's him- so I suppose I'll continue calling him that, if you don't like it, by all means, don't read this fic, nobody's forcing you, I hope. **

**Speaking of- Sorry I've been busy lately, I plan on updating the other stories too, My boyfriend Elijah and I aren't getting along, _Boo_. Anyways, I'm sure I can cheer him up eventually, I thought about dressing up as Tobi and surprising him, he always said I held a resemblance to Obito, Y'know, without the face-marring._ *Wink, Wink*_**

**Chapter Four;**

_**In Konohagakure…**_

"I can't believe she's gone." The words escaped his lips before he could catch them, pain burning in the pit of his stomach. It was probably the thousandth time today it was said, from several nurses who worked beside her, from nearly every member of the rookie nine, several Jonin and Chunin who had come to know the pink-haired kunoichi of the infamous team seven.

A blonde haired junjuriki stood at the front of the crowd, dressed in traditional black, his oceanic blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he stood before the memorial stone, a new name had been engraved in it the day before.

The sobs of the blonde haired Yaminaka heiress echoed through the valleys of Konoha as a spiky haired Nara mourned the loss of his friend and shoji partner in silence with his team, for once Choji wasn't stuffing his face as sorrow sparkled in his eyes.

Naruto's eyes wandered to Kakashi, his former genin sensei, who hadn't said a word since her name was engraved on the stone, marking that she had died in battle, a true shinobi death. The silver haired Jonin clasped a hand over his blonde students' shoulder, unable to bring words to his lips, nothing he could say could comfort the blonde, he'd lost both of his teammates, one to darkness, one to death, he couldn't decide which was worse.

Sai and Yamato stood beside the pair, Sai's dark eyes gleaming with pain as he stared at the stone; Sakura was his first real friend, the first person besides his brother to show him any kind of true kindness without underlying motives. Yamato's eyes were downcast as he muttered a soft prayer for his fallen comrade, dropping a stark white carnation before the stone with shaking hands.

A dark haired Hyuga Hanabi watched in silence as the service went on, The Hokage herself even made an appearance, although it didn't surprise anyone considering she _was_ her apprentice that had passed. The youngest Hyuga daughter timidly made her way over to the blonde boy who was now a member on her ANBU blackops team, ignoring the questioning glance from her older sister as she approached the Uzumaki.

"Hello Uzumaki-San." She spoke softly, not sure how one was to comfort exactly, her family was not the most affectionate, although her sister somehow found a way around that, Hanabi was always the quiet one, although not out of shyness, more knowing her place, as second born daughter she had to try her hardest constantly to earn favor in her fathers eyes, but as she spent more time with the blonde- She realized it wasn't about what her father saw in her, she wanted to be a good person, good like her teammate, good like- Naruto.

He nodded to her, and Hanabi was drawn back to see his pretty blue eyes sparkling with tears, before she could register her motions- her fingers wrapped around his, although he didn't seem surprised, in fact; his grip on her hand tightened as they stood in silence.

"Thank you." He whispered, his hand tightening over the young Hyuga's.

_**Sakura**_

I followed behind Ita-Senpai and Kisa-kun as we got closer to the 'base' as Ita-sempai had called it, he told me I was in trouble for something- but didn't tell me what, I huffed, _Father_ never told me I was in trouble.

I looked ahead to see Ita-Senpai's back facing me, and stuck my tongue out at him, which got a giggle from Kisa-kun who was next to me, Ita-Senpai said that I was in trouble and they weren't going to let me out of their sight, and boy did they mean it. I sighed and scratched the back of my head, it was pulled up and twisted into a bow, I really didn't like it when my hair was falling all over the place, so I usually keep it up.

My curse mark was hurting _real bad_. I wander why? My fingers twitched my stinging shoulder blade with a small pout, it was a full moon yesterday, I should have told Ita-Senpai, but he would have gotten angry, he wasn't like father, he didn't _want _to be with me, father told me he was only watching me because father told him to do so, because father was the boss.

"I'm hungry Kisa-kunnnnn." I whined, outstretching my arms to the blue skinned man, my sleeves were really, really long and hung almost a foot from my fingertips, but the large blue skinned man scooped me up and sat me carefully on to his back, I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck, squealing when he went really-really fast.

"Kitten is hungry," Kisame nodded to Ita-Sempai, "There's a tea shop ahead, want some dango Kitten?" He questioned, inclining his head to peer at me though pearl colored eyes, I smiled and nodded, _sweet nommy dango_!

"Hn." Ita-Senpai mumbled, keeping his eyes ahead.

"Why is Ita-Senpai always so sour?" I whispered into Kisa-kun's ear, earning one of his big booming laughs that vibrated his entire body, "Well you see kitten, Itachi has stick-up-the-ass syndrome." He winked.

I giggled and turned to Ita-Senpai, pulling his pony-tail softly, he gave me a mean look with his pretty cherry-colored eyes and I smiled, leaning my head on Kisa-kun's big muscled shoulders before yawning.

"Are you tired, Sakura?" That was Ita-Senpai, because Kisa-Kun called me 'kitten', and had a rougher, booming voice, wall Ita-Senpai sounded soft and bleak, his voice was smooth, like fathers, it made me blush a bit hearing it.

"No, Ita-Senpai." I whispered, my curse mark aching once again, I pressed my hand to it and pushed a little healing chakra into it, trying to make it hurt less, but it sparked and shocked me when I tried to heal it, like it always did, it didn't like to be tampered with, I whimpered softly, although Kisa-Kun didn't seam to notice, Ita-Senpai did, and sent me an odd look.

I yawned softly, burying my face further in the ex-mist Nin's broad shoulder, inhaling his thick scent, oceanic salts and morning rain. My eyes drooped softly, another yawn escaping my lips, my tongue curling at the action, before I fell into unconsciousness.

_The sound of a loud, animalistic growl filled the air as a young pink haired girl watched her treasured blonde haired teammate fall to his knees in almost an animalistic pose, his once bright oceanic blue eyes a demonic crimson, with slits of a fox down the center, the crimson chakra dancing over his skin as the sixth tail slowly began to form._

"_Naruto! Stop!" Her cry of fear went unheard as she stepped forward, only to be encased within his brown haired temporary Sensei's hold as he held her back, tears prickled in the corners of her bright emerald eyes, concern for her teammate screaming in her eyes, although much to Yamato's surprise, not an ounce of fear or disgust. _

_The Kyubi was slowly taking over the blonde's senses as he charged at the snake Sannin, flames of chakra dancing over his skin as her eyes widened in horror, the sixth tail had sprung forward, and Naruto was no longer visible within the static of chakra as Yamato hissed and yanked her backwards, disappearing into the trees for safety. _

"_Do something!" Her cries filled his ears- but he couldn't intervene, Sai had run off somewhere, and Naruto was in no condition to try and subdue, he had never seen the sixth tail spring up, he wasn't sure his sealing jutsu was strong enough to hold this much of his chakra. _

_The battle ensued, and as a ball of pure chakra formed in the jaws of the chakra-created beast, an explosion shook the ground, a crater of nearly one hundred feet in depth was left, miles wide, chakra hanging heavy in the air as airborne trees crashed to the ground with harsh cracks. _

_The pinkette was now standing mere feet from her teammate, still hidden within the chakra, tears filled her eyes and she charged at him, too quickly for Yamato to cease her actions, her face one of horror for losing her teammate, at that moment, one of the six tails whipped out and came crashing into her, the chakra burning her skin with it's immense power as she cried out. _

_**And then everything was black, another scene began playing.**_

_It was pitch black, but a slight rustling could be heard in the distance, and slowly, a light became visible, dim as it was, the ear-piercing noise of metal scraping against cement filled the room as a heavily bolted steel door was pushed open, the candlelight from the hallway streaming in, only allowing the most minimal of sights into the room. _

_Although one figure wasn't hidden within the darkness at all- in fact, it nearly lit up the entire room, though weak and half-dead as it was. _

_A dainty girl was chained to the wall, forced to stand, although her knees shook with the need to sit, considering she had eaten nothing and been standing for nearly a week, her wrists bound with chakra eating cuffs, that were attached to the wall so firmly even if she had her chakra enhanced strength she would end up pulling the entire ceiling down upon herself. _

_Her clothing wasn't even distinguishable anymore, and hung around her like ribbons, her only modestly was conserved by her white bindings that covered her breasts- now stained crimson and brown from old and new blood- and her medical skirt which was still in decent condition, her short pink locks hid her face like a veil, in dirty tangles clumped with limitless amounts of her blood, her skin was bruised in array of colors ranging from black to yellow and green to purple, blood covering every visible inch in disgusting clumps, still healing scars on the way to becoming infected,_

_Her breathing came out in small, almost inaudible raspy pants, she didn't have the strength to even open her eyes anymore, and with the broken rib that was mercilessly piercing her lung she didn't think she would be alive much longer, why wasn't she dead yet? Did Kami have no mercy? She just wanted to die._

"_Hello blossom, how're you feeling today?" An amused voice spoke through the darkness, although his face was blurred- it always had been, she didn't have the strength to lift her head and check today, for she knew she would see nothing. _

"_Not very talkative today? That's quite alright, I can talk enough for the both of us." He chuckled, his footsteps echoed through the empty concrete room, the pinkette weakly flinching away from her tormenter, although it was barely considered a movement. _

"_Oh, don't be like that blossom; I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered, his breath tossing her hair, his hot breath fanning over her exposed cheek as his lips traveled over her bloodstained neck, she gave a choked whimper and tried to move away, a tear rolled down her cheek from the immense pain the small movement caused._

_The man with the blurred out face pulled a syringe from his cloak the icy blue colored liquid seeming to glow in the darkness as, a dark chuckle filling the room as his tongue lid up her throat, the taste of her blood filling his mouth was more than welcoming to the sadistic man as he forcefully shoved the needle hilt deep within the delicious, now cleaned thanks to his little lavishing tongue, tendon in her throat was visible._

_She screamed and thrashed as her blood was set ablaze, the man stepped back, waiting her in silent interest as tears streamed from her eyes and she continuously forced her head backwards, slamming it into the cement in a pitiful attempt to break her own skull._

_The raven-haired man simply sighed, snatching her hair forcefully as a large splat of blood formed on the cracked cement from the force of her blows, "You know I'm only doing this because I love you, blossom. You have to be strong enough to withstand the curse mark- I'm helping you, I love you." He whispered, his hand still fisted into her hair as his lips traveled along her shoulders, her pained screams music to his ears._

_The words echoed into the pinkette's mind as she screamed and thrashed. Her blood feeling as though it was on fire, her skin felt scorched as if flames were licking and peeling it away, his lips felt like ice, burning worse than the flames as they touched her, disgusting her further._

'_**I love you'**_

'_**I love you blossom'**_

'_**love'**_

'_**love you'**_

'

'_**love'**_

_**Itachi**_

I watched the frail pink haired girl from the corner of my eyes, Kisame and I had paused to break just before we reached Rain, considering the girl had fallen asleep we had to reason to stop on the way, she could eat at the base. Kisame was at a nearby stream getting a drink, and I was leaning against a tree, not entirely in need of a break in the first place, but understanding my partners need to be hydrated often after years of working with the blue-skinned man.

I couldn't help but be interesting with the way her eyes moved beneath her eyelids, or the way her lips would part as if she wanted to speak, or the way her hand would reach behind her to brush the back of her shoulder blade.

She wasn't wearing the childish grin she did, although It didn't seem like a façade, at least her moronic tenancies didn't, the day Kisame and I had found her in that village, slaughtering those villagers, something lead me to believe Madera had left out a valuable piece of information when throwing this burden of a girl in my direction.

To think of it- The shoulder she continuously reached for in her sleep was the same place my sharringan had caught a flare of chakra when she was touching it- could it be a seal?

I slowly approached her and knelt down to her level, as she was currently leaning against a tree, propped up by Kisame himself of coarse, he had taken quite a liking to this little girl. I sighed and reached out, softly pushing the back of her shirt to he side.

I caught a black line, clearly a part of the seal, but as I went to push it further a small hand clamped down on my wrist, and I nearly gaped in shock at the expression on her face, the corners of her mouth were pulled into a grin that looked like it pulled to inhuman length, her eyes wide and glowing crimson, sharp canines glinting as her grin widened- if possible, A lesser man would have screamed at the horrifying sight, but I merely stared stoically, my sharringan meeting her own gauze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said, her voice slightly raspy, although in an instant the feral and animalistic grin was wiped away, as all traces of crimson disappeared from her eyes as she offered a tiny, childish smile, her long black lashes fanning over her cheeks as she gave a confused look at me through emerald eyes.

"Hiya' Ita-Senpai. Whatcha' doing?" She questioned, cocking her head to the side as she released my wrist, I nearly drew back in confusion, my eyes scanning over her quizzically, although I settled for a grunt as I wandered back to my spot, watching the girl with growing curiosity as she yawned and stretched out her arms and legs.

This girl- There was something really, _really_ off about her.

The question was; _did he even want to know what_?

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o000o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o**

**Read and Review.**

**-TobiIsMyName**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five;**

_**Itachi**_

I watched the girl from the corner of my eyes, her smiling, childish façade so well-placed; reminding me eerily of Madera, and the curse seal- what was it? What were its abilities? Was it what changed her that night, what had altered her appearance and attitude, was it that strong?

My thoughts wandered back to my little brother, and thus Orochimaru, the Heaven Seal he had placed upon my brother changed his appearance. Madera was much older than the snake Sannin, but the elder Uchiha never seemed to show any interest in sealing, if you don't count the junjuriki sealing, it was odd for him to place seals. Was this his experimental jutsu? If so- what purpose would she serve? Why did he keep her alive and leave her in my care?

Too many questions ran through my mind at the moment, the pressure behind my eyes seemed worse than usual, and the blurriness that appeared on the corners of my vision were worsening; I'd used my sharringan a lot more than usual lately. This girl seemed to be putting me on edge.

"How long until we arrive at the base?" A soft, feminine voice questioned, and I inclined my head to look at the pinkette, who was hopping from branch to branch beside Kisame, her face plain as she followed the large man with ease, I stared questionably at her odd shift in moods, but as I looked to the sky I noticed dark grey clouds forming in the sky as we neared Rain's border.

"We're here." I nodded, sending a spike of chakra into my Akatsuki ring to signal our arrival as we landed on our feet on the outskirts of the town, although the humid, cold weather didn't seem to affect anyone here, they bustled around, smoke rising from chimneys, neon lights lit the windows of brothels and pubs, villagers laughing as they excited the brightly lit buildings.

"Heh, I'll be taking my leave now- I think I'll go visit the pub, cya' kitten, Itachi." He nodded to the duo before slinging samehada over his shoulder with a wide grin, disappearing in the direction of a brothel, where a pair of women were giggling as they met him at the door, both lacing their arms through his.

I snorted, turned to assure the pinkette was still there, she was, a bored expression on her features as she stood with her hands shoved in her pockets, her eyes flickered to me, her face showed no childish features, no insanity, just boredom as she rose an eyebrow at me, and amused glint in her eyes. "Shall we continue?" She prompted.

"Hn." I grunted, stepping closer to her, her eyes seemed to catch every one of my movements, weather it was a twitch of my fingers or a flick of my eye, she saw it all, and seemed to memorize it, causing a flood of anger to rise in me, my hand shot out, clasping itself around her neck, "Do not pretend. I will not be taken as a fool." I snarled.

She sighed, although seemingly unfazed by my advance as I dropped my hand and tore away from her rather harshly, continuing my walk to the base, aggravation building in my system as she walked behind me, a smug aura around her as she did so.

As we came to the Kage tower my eyes flickered to her once again, she seemed blank, her face showing nothing, although every now and again her eyes would downcast, as if nervous, a small blush painted her cheeks, although that could be from the nipping, cold weather.

I shifted to the side and pushed the door open, holding it with the toe of my black combat boot as the pinkette shuffled around me, her childish façade gone, I felt something deep down, a kind of suspicion, but also something else- a kind of frustration, that I had been tricked, that I had to watch over this enigma of a woman, that I had absolutely no say in the matter.

It was too far into my plan to jeopardize it now.

_**Sakura**_

I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, father told me to act dense, that I _couldn't _trust these people, that they were dangerous and if they saw me as a threat- that they would kill me. But there was something about Itachi- something that made me hate him, that forced me to drop my persona and want to instigate. He looked so familiar, and yet so mysterious.

_**If I smile and don't believe  
**_

_**Soon I know I'll wake from this dream  
**_

_**Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
**_

_**Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide  
**_

_**Don't cry**_

_You know him. _A voice in the back of my mind chided, the words seemed to bounce around in my head, could he- could he have been from my past? Is it even _possible_- I- I couldn't remember, I'd never been able to remember, Father said I was better off this way, that the memories would only hurt me, that they were dangerous and it was better to give up on trying to remember.

But- I wanted to know if anyone actually remembered me- apparently no one did. I just want to know where I come from, what happened to me before the memories I had with father, what happened to make me forget?

My head thudded in protest and I let out a soft sigh, as I came to the top of the staircase I looked ahead to see Itachi come to stand before a door in the hallway, it was at the very center, no doubt the room leader-Sama would be in. I felt my heart slow, knowing Konan and Leader knew the _real _me, and I didn't have to put up my persona around them.

I winced slightly as my curse mark pulsed. Damn. Why couldn't I remember anything from yesterday night? Was it- Was it a full moon? Had the lunar cycle been completed so quickly? My heart dropped to my stomach. I knew what happened. I had lost control once more, this time father wasn't here to heal the curse mark, I was on my own now.

Why hadn't I told Itachi about the curse mark, you ask? Because father told me not to, and I **never** disobeyed him. He was the only person I had fond memories of, the only person I'd known until I came in contact with Pein and Konan, and then I met Itachi and Kisame.

I actually rather liked Kisame, and although I hated lying to him with my persona, it felt easier to act childish and humorous around him, he seemed to lighten the spirit with his remarks and jokes, how he ended up in the Akatsuki is besides me. Well- I suppose I didn't have room to talk, eh?

_Pay attention!'_

I turned to see Itachi staring at me with an annoyed expression on his face and I nearly blushed out of embarrassment, before offering him an apologetic nod and entering the room, a small smile appearing as I saw Konan-San and Pein-San, who both nodded as they saw me, a small smile appearing on Konan's lips.

"Hello Sakura-San, It's good to see you making your appearance." Konan nodded, and I couldn't help but smile, wanting to talk to her a bit more considering I hadn't seen her in nearly three weeks, but pushing back the urge and nodding to Pein-San as well, who merely stared blankly at me for a moment before nodding a greeting as well.

"How was the mission, Itachi?" Pein questioned, his lavender eyes boring blankly into the raven-haired male, He was clearly related to father- they shared many traits, the pale complexion, the sharp, slightly feminine facial features, the raven-hair, the sharringan eyes.

Would that make Father an Uchiha? Considering that was Itachi's surname? Father was clearly older than Itachi, hundreds of years old, and father didn't have any children- excluding me who he referred to as his own daughter- so could Itachi be a distant relative? More than probable.

_He looks so familiar, painfully familiar, we've seen him before. _The voice in the back of my mind agreed, and my eyes roved over the male as he filled Pein in on the success of his mission, being incredibly thorough, not leaving a single detail out. I did notice something when I met Itachi- a sheer dislike for the man; it still grew in the pit of my stomach, and left the strong taste of _betrayal._

But why did I feel it? Itachi had never betrayed me- He'd never given me a reason not to like him, although something in my gut constantly screamed to attack him, screamed that he deserved to die, that he had wronged me deeply, that he had caused me pain, but I had only just met the man, and considering I could remember nothing of my past- well, I don't suppose he wronged me in this life.

Maybe in my past life- when I was someone else, when I wasn't in Father's possession, before I could remember, he must have been a part of the darkness- the parts of my mind that held the memories I could not reach.

I let out a huff of breath and buried my hands deeper into my pockets. Eyes shifting to corners of the room as I tried to burry away the voices in my mind, although it seemed that the harder I tried to ignore them, the louder they became.

I bit unconsciously into the side of my cheek at one point, and now it was spilling blood, the voices of Itachi and Pein were becoming unrecognizable against the buzzing static in my mind. I kept my face a stoic blank and slowly escaped the room, but not before seeing the curling of Itachi's lips, a small, almost unnoticeable smirk.

_**Tsunade**_

"Hey baa-chan, you wanted to see me?"

I felt my eyebrow twitch and I swiftly tossed a book at the blonde, who side stepped just before it came crashing into his face. "Oi, kids these days, so disrespectful." I grumbled, rubbing my aching temples as I reached for the bottle of sake in my desk drawer- Tch, of course, Shizune had cleaned out my stash.

"Yes. I have a mission for you." I grumbled, probing my head up in my palm as I looked down at the scroll before me, my head pounding in response to my lack of alcohol. Kami, why did the world have to be so fucking cruel?

I rubbed my temples absentmindedly, astounded the damn brat could stay quiet this long. He was usually blabbering on about something by now. I felt a pang in my heart and sighed, of course, he had been like this since… since Sakura passed. I felt my eyes water, but sucked it up, we were so close to war with Iwa and Oto I couldn't afford to be distracted right now- my people came before my emotions.

"Anyway," I cleared my throat, trying to hide the strain, "We got a report of a village being attacked; only a passing few were able to escape with their lives. Normally, I would explain that there really wasn't anything we could do, when I realized that there were several other linked events, all occurring around the past few months, village is slaughtered, burned to the ground, although it's a rare occasion that there were survivors, so we might actually have a lead." I sighed, looking up from the ungodly amount of paperwork on my desk to see that two other males had entered the room with a bow, adorning the same ANBU blackops uniform as Naruto wore.

"Sorry we're late Hokage-Sama." The Nara boy lazily bowed in apology, along with the white-eyed lower branch Hyuga beside him.

"I've briefed Naruto on the mission status; you can fill him in on details later, ne?" I sighed, rubbing my aching temples, wanting nothing more than to get some damn sake and take a fucking nap. Was that too much to ask for?

"Hai." Nara and Hyuga bowed together.

As the three left the room I sighed, "We'll catch this blood crazed psychopath."

_**Sakura**_

I bent forward and sneezed, sniffling slightly.

**Either it's our allergies, or someone is talking about us. **

_Yes, because I'm sure we're common topic of discussion. _I rolled my eyes, enjoying the sight laid out before me, it was a spring, clear clean waters were inhabited by beautifully colored Koi, thick vegetation grew around the area, and brightly colored flowers bloomed everywhere.

I'd always proffered when people left gardens untended, I'm not exactly sure why people bothered to do so at all. Things were more beautiful when allowed to grow wildly, without limitation. It didn't seem right to assume that just because some people proffered a stiff, boring garden that it was instantly the right way to go. A wild garden holds more life, more nature.

Although the constant rain in Ame made it quite easy for life to grow here, everything had a nice layer of squishy green moss on it. But- It smelled nice here, the constant rain made everything smell fresh, new, lively.

"Eh? Who the fuck are you?"

I squinted and plopped onto my back, allowing the plush grass to devour my form, closing my eyes and breathing in the fresh scent of the outdoors. I'd only been to Ame once, but I could already feel that I liked it here. It would be better than Father's home, I was allowed outside here.

"Hey, bitch. Did you not hear me? I said who the fuck are you?" An angrier version of the voice from earlier questioned, lazily opening an eye I looked up to see a man with silver hair standing over me. It was the one known as Hidan, Father told me of this man. A small smirk played on my lips at the annoyed expression on his face.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I answered smoothly, not seeing use in my childish façade at the moment, closing my eyes once more, I sensed a shift in the air around me and fluidly caught the foot of the much larger man who had attempted a kick at me, without moving from my position I pulsed a small amount of chakra into my fingertips, feeling a shift in the air followed by a loud crash.

I would probably have to fix that wall later. But for now, I'd like to just enjoy the outside world- it's been so long. So long since I've been allowed any kind of freedom. Hell, Father didn't even like me leaving his side for very long. Did this mean that he was finally going to free me? If he did, where would I go? I have no memories, no home; I don't even know what village I hail from. I was faceless, without any kind of identity. What use did freedom do me if I had no where to go?

I sighed and rubbed my temples, I truly hated this situation. Off the top of my head I couldn't think of a less favorable one. Well- except remaining in the dark with the rest of Father's 'children.' That was most certainly not an enjoyable place to be, by any means.

My eyes flickered to the edge of the forest as I heard a shuffle in the bushes, watching a brown rabbit slowly limp it's way toward me, I sat up slowly, as to not startle the small creature, reaching out to pick the small animal up, noticing it's leg was slightly twisted to the right.

"It's alright bunny, I'll fix you up brand new-"

I winced as my shoulder burned once more, and looked down into my lap, immediately dropping the small creature and backing away from it, groaning and mewling at the immense pain in my skull, it was like something was trying to force its way out from within.

Then blackness.

It felt like seconds, but as I opened my eyes, tears spilled from them, I brought my shaking hands before my face, blood.

So much blood.

I looked down to the ground before me… the rabbit lie there, unidentifiable from the creature it had been moments before.

It came to her, trusted her wholeheartedly to heal her.

And she had killed it.

"I'm such a monster." I cried, dropping to my knees before the poor animal, now looking like a pile of disassembled parts. Why did I have to hurt everything I cared for? Why did this keep happening to me? I felt my tears drip over the form of the dead rabbit.

I would give it a proper burial.  
And remember to keep my distance… it was the only way to keep people safe.

_**Itachi**_

I couldn't understand this woman. It was utterly infuriating. One moment- she looked like she was nearly about the fall to her knees from a mental breakdown, the next, she was outside, admiring the garden like nothing was wrong whatsoever.

The threw Hidan through a wall within the first sentence she had spoken with him, (Although most have this reaction to the foul mouthed imbecile.) And the next takes a wounded animal within her lap. And then, after some strange spasm, her eyes take on that… crimson look, and she murdered it, ripping the poor animal to shreds.

And after she had cried helplessly over the animal, spending time to bury it in the ground and say a prayer.

She didn't make sense, was she insane?

It was as if she were two people living within the same body.

One, a typical woman.  
Two, a bloodthirsty demon.

He couldn't tell which side irked him more.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00oo0o0o 0o0o0o**

**OHMYFUCKINGGOD I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG.**

I LOVE ALL OF YOU! PLEASE COME BACK TO ME!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six; **

_**Sakura**_

I stood from the little rabbit's make-shift grave, wiping my puffy eyes. Why did I keep doing this? My hand traveled to the curse mark Father had put on me... Why would he do this to me? I can't control it. Why didn't he just kill me like the other defective children? What is my purpose?

Why can't I remember anything? Did I even have a life before the short time I spent with father? Why, why, why? It seems like I've done nothing but question myself ever since I can remember. I don't have anywhere else to go and absolutely no other purpose besides the goals and orders father has set for me. What did it even matter anymore?

I brushed the grass of the front of my Akatsuki robe and shorts with a short glance to the large hole in the wall where the silver-haired man, dubbed Hidan, had flown through. I felt a pang of guilt and made my way over to where he lay unconscious, bending down to press my hand to his wounds, he only had a couple of bruises and scrapes, and a few tears in his robe. They'd probably give him a new one anyway.

I stepped over the rubble and stood in the room that had been broken through, scattered pieces of clay moldings were strewn across the room and bag over bag of industrial clay. It looked like an artist's room, This was probably the room of the Akatsuki member 'Deidara'. I frowned and looked at the giant hole in the wall, Hidan had flown through a traditional paper door set that probably lead out to the gardens. I looked over to the large man who was lying in a heap of paper and plaster, sighing, I shifted him over my shoulder and placed him away from the wreckage.

I then ventured out the door of the bedroom to go and search for a broom.

I could only sense two chakra signatures in the hideout. Itachi's, and one I wasn't so familiar with. Probably another one of the Akatsuki members I haven't met yet. Where would they keep a broom? What else would I need to repair the wall?

Probably plaster or something... Oh this is hopeless! Father would be so disappointed of me now, being beaten by a little tumbled wall. If I can't even fix a hole in the wall how am I ever going to stay of use to Father? What if he realizes how useless I am and throws me away just like all the others? What would I do? Would he kill me? If he left me out on my own I wouldn't even know what to do with myself, I might have to beg him to kill me-

"Oh thank Kami." I sighed as I spotted a broom leaning against the wall in the kitchen, I guess I wandered in there while rambling to myself. I triumphantly grabbed the broom and made my way back to the destroyed bedroom.

Humming to myself, I silently slipped through the hallway, noticing a door had opened behind me, I turned around to face a man I had yet to meet. The lower half of his face and his hair was hidden, but his eyes were a pitch black with bright green iris's. I smiled brightly as I saw his eyes fall on me, "Hello, I'm Sakura, it's very nice to meet you Kakuzu-Sempai." I said, trying to mimic the behavior I had earlier, although it was harder due to the whole rabbit situation.

"Hn. Who are you?" He grumbled crankily, eyeing the broom in my hands. I felt a bit of sadness touch my features, why did he seem to hate me so much? He just met me. I then noticed I was frowning and quickly forced a smile to my features, remembering what Father told me to say.

"I'm the new member, I'll be a medic until Leader-Sama finds a suitable partner for me." I lied- well, it wasn't really a lie. I mean, I was a new member, and I would be posted as a medic. But my orders don't come from Pein-San, they're directly from father.

"I should be informed of all new members, so who are you?" He snarled, making a grab for my forearm, I ducked away in a split second and he grabbed for air. This only seemed to make him angrier and he lunged for me once more.

"Kakuzu, stop now."

Both of our heads turned to see Itachi standing in his doorway, leaning over casually with his arms crossed over his chest, his Akatsuki robe forgotten for the moment. The Akatsuki member known as Kakuzu shot him a poisonous look, "How come I wasn't informed of this- this, little girl coming?" He spat venomously. My eyes narrowed to slits and I felt my curse mark start to burn, Itachi must have seen the havoc chakra racing out of us because he quickly appeared between Kakuzu and I.

"She just got here today, she's my apprentice and thus my responsibility, I suggest you keep away." He said, his voice passive with an undertone of steel that made me somewhat calm. He was like father in so many ways, but so different. Father would have killed that man the second he disobeyed, he didn't like to repeat himself.

I then remembered the broom in my hands and looked to Itachi, he still irritated me for some reason that I just couldn't place. "I'm going to go clean up a mess." I said blandly, turning on my heel to head back to the bedroom to at least sweep up he mess until I figure out what to do with the gaping hole I the wall. He's an artist, so he must have some kind of tape in his utensils, I could at least repair what was left of the paper door and the wood settings.

A slender-fingered hand curled around my elbow and I turned to look into a pair of blood red eyes, which for a reason shot a spark of fear up my spine, that left as quickly as it had come.

"You need to report to me when you leave a room, when you enter one. You are not allowed to wander around on your own and I will not tolerate you breaking things to throw some kind of tantrum, remember your place." Itachi spat before yanking his hand away and disappearing into his own bedroom. My eyes were misty with something akin to shame. What right did he have to yell at me? And why did it bother me so much?

I shook off the feeling and wiped my watery eyes, heading back into Deidara's bedroom, the silver haired man was gone and I couldn't sense him anywhere near the room, so I went over to the pile of rubble, since he had hit from the outside of the building all the rubble was forced inward, which made it a little easier to find and separate pieces of wall from pieces of the sliding door.

I just swept the rubble from the wall out the door, and began to piece the door back together with some beige paper tape I'd found on the desk in the bedroom.

It took me about an hour to piece back the door and the paper, thankfully it'd broken into large pieces and it wasn't impossible to find all the pieces. The only problem left was fixing the wall so I could put the door back. I sighed and rubbed my temples, I was breaking a sweat from the immense heat of the room and he Ame humidity. I needed to fix the door before it began to rain, and it didn't look like I had much time.

I began to look around for something I could use to substitute the plaster missing from the wall, there wasn't very much, but when the door caved in it yanked back some of the material. I then remembered all the industrial clay in the room, rushing over to pick up one of the smaller forty-pound bags I pulled out chunks of tough clay and began molding it in my hand and smoothening it over the wall, surprisingly it worked well, it wasn't gorgeous, but eventually I was able to put the doors back up just as it began to rain.

I smirked and wiped the sweat from my brow.

As I grabbed the broom from the corner I had placed it into I heard a shift in the air, and in a second's time I had used the hilt of the broom to knock back the clay spider that had come at me.

"Did you come back for me, un? What? One Akatsuki wasn't enough for you? Well, I'm nothing like my old partner."

I turned to see a blonde haired man in the doorway, one long bang hanging over one of his eyes. The visible was an oceanic blue. I scrunched my eyebrows and looked to the man, something about the way the man's hair looked was so familiar to me.

The man didn't give me time to question him as he lunged at me with a kunai, "I have no idea how you got in here, but I'm going to-"

He then seemed to notice my Akatsuki cloak and his face turned sour, "So the little leaf princess went rogue, huh?" He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. What did he call me? Did he know me? I didn't recognize him at all, what was he even talking about?

My head throbbed painfully as flashes of pictures raced through my mind,

An old woman with her hair pulled into a bun,

A redheaded man in the mouth of a giant clay bird,

A sword going through my stomach-

My brain throbbed painfully and I screamed, it felt like fire was bouncing around my skull as I dropped to my knees, clutching desperately at my hair as if it would help me. The sounds around me faded into a blur as my curse mark burned and tore and screeched with the sound of electricity, the sound of rushing water filled my ears and the taste of vomit filled my throat, I lurched forward as the contents of my stomach spilled, by body began to cramp up and everything around me was drowned out, I felt myself spasming, I can't breath, my body-

What the hell is happening to me?

**X-S-X-I-X**

**This is the first update in FOREVER. I've cleaned up my work a lot in that time and I promise the quality will be better too. I've stopped saying 'although' every six words. I'm so sorry for the delay I've had awful technical difficulties and hope I still have some faithful readers out there. **

**-Sailing the Ocean**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven; **

_**Sakura**_

_It was dark, so dark. She couldn't remember how long she'd been in the darkness. It seemed like an eternity. Her limbs felt heavy as led, they burned at the joints. Her arms were cuffed tightly, she could feel the cold metal scorching her raw skin, holding her down. She was lying on a table of some sort, her arms and legs spread. Her body was bruised and most of her bones practically crushed. She had no chakra, no strength, and barely any sanity. _

_Who am I? She kept asking herself, she couldn't remember who she was, how she got here, or what was going on. All she knew was pain and the darkness of this little room. How did she get here? Has she always been here? Was she being punished? And if so, what for? _

_What was her name? Did other people have names? Were there even other people out there? _

_The door opened, and her heart smacked against her ribcage. She tried to open her mouth to ask who was here, but she couldn't move her mouth, her throat felt like sandpaper. What was sandpaper? Why did she even think that? _

_"Hello blossom. I've come to see you." _

_Who's that? She wandered, she tried to open her eyes, but they slammed down just as they opened. She was too weak to keep them open long. _

_"I'm going to heal you a bit," The voice continued, she decided she liked his voice, it was soothing. It sounded comforting. Her mind drifted and she wandered what her own voice sounded like, would it be soft and comforting like this one? _

_Something cold touched the bare skin on her thigh and her body instinctively flinched, the action causing her to whimper weakly. Seconds later the cold sensation came back, but this time it was like a numbing sensation, it spread slowly through her legs, then her aching chest, then her arms and finally her head. Her arms didn't feel like lead anymore, they were still heavy and sore, but she could move them now. _

_She opened her eyes, and was startled to find that there was a light in her little dark room, candles along the wall had been lit, and she could see a tall man standing over her, his slender fingers dancing over her naked skin, healing her. (She wasn't concerned with her nudity because she couldn't say she'd ever had human interaction before.)_

_"A-are... here to help me?" Was all her voice could manage, it was scratchy and sore. _

_The man finally turned to face her, and she realized how handsome he was. He had pale skin and sharp features, two shining crimson eyes like jewels. His hair was dark and flowed down his back in spiking raven's wing black. _

_He smiled gently at her and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping it off of her cheek tenderly, causing heat to flood to the restrained girls cheek. As he looked at the handkerchief with caked blood staining it's white surface he 'tsked'. "You've finally awoken and you're all dirty. I'm so sorry my dear. But you've been asleep a very long time." He smiled sweetly, releasing her from her shackles and draping a long black cloak with red clouds around her naked body, covered in blood to the point of hardly any visible skin. _

_He looped his arm behind her back, and helped her sit up, as her body was too weak. "You must be hungry, Sakura." He smiled, pushing a loose bang away from the girl's eyes. _

_"S-Sakura?" She croaked. _

_"Yes, that was your name from your past life. I quite like it, so I decided to let you keep it." He said, plucking a tray from a nearby, it contained a bowl with white rice, assorted meats, and a jug of water. She left nothing uneaten. _

_He stroked her hair as she ate, and told her of her 'new life'. He said as long as she behaved, he wouldn't lock her up again. _

_He kept telling her this was her new life, that she had been reborn, and that she would one day understand why. _

_And like the fool she was, she saw nothing wrong with it. _

**-S-X-I-**

_She was in trouble, again. _

_She tried to go outside, again. _

_She was caught, again. _

_She brought her legs to her chest, trying to drown out the agonizing cries around her. She was in the lab, where father kept his other children. These were the broken ones though, the ones that the curse mark ate. Some of them couldn't die, no matter how hard they tried to kill themselves. The seal healed their wounds, only enough to keep them half alive, they crawled across the floor, sobbing and screaming. _

_They scared Sakura, whenever she looked at them all she could see was herself, and what might have happened to her if she didn't turn out as well as she did. _

_She resisted the urge to scream as a clammy hand grabbed for her ankle, and scooted further into the wall. The man coming at her was Matsume, an old man, he's been here a really long time. She seemed to calm as she recognized the old man who slumped against the wall beside her, his legs were gone, and the curse mark's chakra was slowly eating his body away. _

_"In trouble again.. H-hime?" The old man said with a toothy smile, his breathing uneven and his voice like sandpaper. She tried to fake a smile, and pushed back the urge to cry, father always knew when she'd been crying, and he'd get very angry if he knew she had been crying. _

_"Yeah, father caught me trying to sneak out again." The small girl sighed, resting her chin on her kneecap. _

_"I s-see." He coughed into his hand, Sakura couldn't help but flinch at the wet gurgling sound that was ripped from his throat, her fragile hand reached out, and she pressed it to his chest, her hand glowed green as she healed him, she wasn't sure how she did it. But sometimes, if she tried hard enough, she could make people better. _

_She was suddenly ripped away by a hand that furiously fisted in her hair, Matsume was gasping and staring at her attacker with horror, she knew who it was, nobody in the lab could move that quickly. It was father, and he was very angry. _

_"I'm very disappointed in you blossom," Madara sighed nonchalantly, although his violent actions seemed different to his words, "You should know better than to heal these creatures." He said, his eyes narrowing dangerously, as his head slowly turned to face the elderly man, he noticed that his eyes were locked on Sakura. _

_"We're going to have to teach you a lesson." Madara pondered, "What would set a good example? Hmm... ah! I've got an idea, I kill this worthless trash, and you see what happens when you disobey me." He smiled sweetly, pulling a kunai from his thigh pouch. _

_Sakura's eyes filled with tears but she couldn't move, it was like her body had been frozen. She couldn't go against father, never! He saved her, he brought her food and clothes, he cleaned her and took care of her. If he didn't do that, no one would. _

_"Don't- don't let him fool you, Sakura. He's a bad man-" The old man managed before a kunai embedded itself in his neck. _

_Blood spewed from the wound, droplets touched Sakura's skin, her eyes widened, her blood ran could. _

_Her vision turned black, and her consciousness ended._

**-S-X-I-**

I shot up in bed, my head reeled at the action and I toppled to the floor, landing hard on my knees. My stomach flipped dangerously, I had to clap a hand over my mouth to keep the contents of my stomach from spilling. Once my vision cleared I stood, I was in a nicely decorated room. It was sleek and neat. The bed was large and covered in satin red sheets with beige accents.

I looked down and noticed I was in an oversized black T-shirt, blushing at the fact I was missing any kind of pants I quickly scanned the room for a dresser. I found a large mahogany wardrobe and silently pulled open it's double doors, inside were pairs of... men's boxer shorts and other kinds of clothing.

I blushed and snatched a pair of black boxer shorts, hurriedly pulling them up my bare legs and looking around. No special tools, I was definitely in the Akatsuki base, but I couldn't place the room I was in. Clearly a male's room, but that didn't lower the possible member list.

Maybe I should just leave... But why was I brought here in the first place? What happened to me?

I winced as my head gave a powerful throb, pressing my hands to my temples and using some healing chakra to force back as much of the migraine as possible. What was wrong with me?

At that moment the door opened and I was face to face with Itachi, "I see you're awake."

"D-did you bring me here?" I questioned, for some reason feeling incredibly small in his presence. He simply grunted and disappeared behind a door, but I wasn't finished with my questions, I followed him.

I really wished I hadn't.

He was pulling off his shirt, he had a horrendous looking gash across his back and it was bleeding pretty bad, I moved out of instinct and reached for the wound. His hand caught my wrist before I could pull myself back, his red eyes hard and narrowed. I felt a ting of pink touch my cheeks and tried to take a step back, but his grip on me was like iron.

"I- I'm sorry." I said quietly. "Medic's instinct."

He closed his eyes and released me, whipping around and unbuttoning his pants, this time my face was set ablaze and I reeled back. "W-What are you doing, you pervert!"

An annoyed sigh was heard across the room along with the sound of clothing hitting the tiled floors. "I'm taking a shower, and you're the one that followed me in here. It seems that you are the pervert." He said coldly, soon the sound of running water could be heard and I disappeared from the bathroom, my heart thudding uncomfortably. What a _jackass_!

Kami! Why did he irritate me so much? It's something about his face, the way he looks, it bothers me. He looks so much like father, which should comfort me, but no, I feel like I've seen him before, when he was younger, and when I thought about what a younger Itachi looked like, It made me... sad? This made no sense! I growled in exasperation and dropped face-down onto the bed.

The room here was nice. Not as nice as my room at Father's, but it was pretty nice. A black canopy hung from the four, tall wooden bedposts. The walls were a dark grey. The room itself had some kind of- seductive allure to it. I closed my eyes, the silky materials of the bed set felt cool to the touch.

I ran my fingers over the materials, they smelled good. Like cinnamon. Oh, no. It wasn't the bed, I stood up, it was the steam rolling out from the bathroom door. It was probably Itachi's body oils. I pinched the bridge of my nose as a thought came through my head. I was in Itachi's room, in his boxers, relishing in the feeling of his bed and how good his body wash smells. This is flat out embarrassing.

I snatched his cloak from the hanger by the door and draped it over myself, it was incredibly big in size compared to me but it will have to do. I could not describe my humiliation if one of the other member's saw me in men's boxer shorts and Itachi's shirt. It would be disastrous.

I tiptoed from the room, masking my chakra as I swiftly danced down the halls, going straight to my designated room. Father had Pein-San create it for me.

As I opened the door a small smile touched my lips, I should have expected nothing less from father.

A King size bed sat in the center of the room, draped in solid white silk settings, a brass bed frame with twisting flower accents and a matching footstone. The walls were solid black, the carpeting white. Candles hung all around the room, a bright crimson, flames all burning evenly. A large cherry wood wardrobe, no doubt fully stocked, against one of the further walls.

I smiled and went straight for the bathroom, smiling at the number of bathing oils, bubble baths, and bathing utensils that Father had gathered for me.

One thing caught my attention the most, a small hair clip lying on the edge of the sink, it took my breath away. It was made entirely of pearl, crimson cherry blossoms and dangling charms of orchid made it look regal. A little note was tied around it's teeth, and I gently tugged it away, setting the beautiful clip down and opening the letter.

_**Hello blossom,**_

_**I hope Itachi has been kind to you, he isn't as nice as I am. I hope your room is to your liking as well, I made it a perfect match to your distinct tastes. I even had one of the servants bring over your bedspread, I hope you're using your time well. **_

_**I'll be seeing you soon. **_

_**-Father**_

**Second update in two days, way to go, me! This one is pretty short, sorry guys. I just hate keeping you all waiting. Please review and tell me what you think of the flashbacks, if you want, there will be plenty more to come! **

**-Sail The Ocean**


End file.
